Hibushibire / Black Helium / Deaf Whip @ The Peer Hat, Manchester, 13th November 2024

A midweek trip up to Manchester was just what the doctor ordered as the night promised something splendid when The Beauty Witch hosted Japanese psych rockers Hibushibire, supported on this UK tour by tripped-out London rockers Black Helium at one of the smallest venues in the city, The Peer Hat.

Before the madness begins, we get local heavy garage four-piece Deaf Whip, who have synthesised nods to drone, punk and psychedelia. They make a decent racket, with the Korg synth being expertly handled by Natasha Kay-Sportelli. With Ste Bradbury asking for ‘more red light and less cheese please’ they plough through their songs and offer a big guitar sound during songs like Clocking Out and No Help. They have a heavy drum sound in parts and the solos fly about all over the place, but it was a good start to the evening.

Starting with a crescendo of noise, Black Helium kick off their set with Pink Bolt, a cracking instrumental song that introduces the packed in crowd to the huge bass sound of Beck Harvey. When the trio play, it feels like a private jam session that we are all invited to attend, they look at ease with what they are doing, and the music flows beautifully. With songs like the trippy I Saw God followed by The Keys To Red Skeleton’s House Part 1 they really are a sight to behold.

With the hypnotic tune Summer Of Hair, they take you back to a simpler time full of joyful peace and we are all transported to a happier place. The smile is etched on my face and when drummer Diogo Gomes picks up the pace, they explode into life and let Stuart Gray on guitars just go a bit mental on his pedal board enabling him to create some majestic sounds. They transition effortlessly into Up On A Hill Far From Sea before they finish with Part 2 of The Keys To Red Skeletons House, and the grooves just kept on flowing throughout their set that was tinged with fuzzy goodness.

And then it happened, the quartet called Hibushibire graced the tiny stage to the assembled masses packed into the venue, and as one of those who’d never seen them before, I was stunned from the off. With a simple ‘Good Evening’ from guitarist and vocalist Changchang, they opened with the raucous Snow Sniffing Matador and laid siege to the venue.

There are only so many superlatives I can use to describe the performance, but amongst them would be mesmerising, amazing, unbelievable, brilliant, stunning, so you’ll get the drift of how I felt about their performance. With Kohei Katsuma perched at the front playing percussion/bongos with unerring speed, the tone was set for a night of Japanese heavy psychedelic rock. And if that song hadn’t won over the hearts of everyone in the room, we are then treated to a masterful performance of the twenty-minute-plus epic that is Ayahuasca Witch Abduction.

This is a song that makes you feel that you are in a psychedelic dream and for much of it, I watched up close the hand speed of Changchang on guitar, I was perplexed by what he was doing and the sound he was making. But, when the insane parts kick in, boy do they kick in hard, it’s fast and furious with Aoi Hama in full command on the drums, and bassist Toyoda focused and in the zone, producing the rhythms to these sensational songs.

They tip a nod to The Beatles psychedelic classic Tomorrow Never Ever Knows next but put their own twist on things, with a nice slow start building up to a song full of emotion and dreamy noises, and I’m still in awe of how Katsuma San hits those bongos with such ferocity and accuracy, it’s so much fun to watch, but more fun to be in their presence.

‘Thank you, the next song is the last one’ says Chang Chang, which is met with a few boos, as the crowd has loved every second of their show, ‘but it’s a very long song’ which gets a lot more cheers, and they begin Rollercoaster Of The Universe. This is where Chang Chang uses some sort of metal rod on his strings as Katsuma circles the bongos with the hands to start the song of with, giving it that air of mystery and intrigue with a trippy essence. The quartet then proceed with another song of sheer excellence that wows the people in front of them to ensure that those who were gathered at The Peer Hat never forget what they’ve witnessed. What a night!

Hibushibire

Black Helium

Deaf Whip

Scribed by: Matthew Williams
Photos by: Lee Edwards